This archive report was first published on 12 November 2019.
On June 23, a body fell from a Kenya Airways plane in London, sparking a massive investigation by British authorities. The incident has now taken a dramatic turn after a British TV report revealed that the deceased may be Paul Manyasi, a 29-year-old airport cleaner from Kakamega.
According to the report, Paul was a cleaner for Colnet company at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi. He hailed from Namakara village in Malava Constituency.
Paul's girlfriend, who wished to remain anonymous, told a Sky News reporter that he reported to work on the day he went missing but disappeared. A taxi driver, Kamau, had confided in the journalist that a cleaner from Colnet had gone missing, leading the journalist to investigate further.
Colnet employees revealed that Paul had gone missing towards the end of June, and his supervisor had informed them that one of their colleagues was missing, but did not reveal his identity. The supervisor had asked them not to tell anyone until the identity of the missing worker was known.
Paul's girlfriend, Maureen, described him as jovial and said she felt like she had lost someone she loved very much. She identified Paul as the stowaway after seeing an e-fit photo produced by the London Metropolitan police and images of his personal belongings found in the landing gear of the plane.
Paul's parents, who were still distraught about his disappearance, identified their son from the photos. They requested the government and well-wishers to help them raise money to bring their son home for a decent burial.
British police had released an e-fit photo of the stowaway and images of his belongings, including a Sh20 coin, a bag, and a bottle, in an effort to identify him and inform his family. The investigation is ongoing, and Paul's body is currently at a mortuary awaiting the conclusion of investigations.
